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Loveland's Heather Waite vaults past her expectations

Senior has become school's best ever, state-title favorite

By Cris Tiller

Reporter-Herald Sports Writer

Posted:
05/05/2014 08:04:36 PM MDT

Loveland senior pole vaulter Heather Waite came a long way since her freshman year, now holding the school's record. Her progression has made her one of the best in the state. (Steve Stoner / Loveland Reporter-Herald)

Paul Quere watches a video, the contents of which seem comical to him now.

There's a freshman trying, and mostly failing, to learn the ins and outs of a new sport. It's funny to the Loveland track coach because the kid on the video struggles to clear 7 feet in the pole vault.

He can laugh because the kid in the video is Heather Waite, and Quere knows what's in store for her. The tape captures a moment in time just three years ago, but represents a far longer journey.

Waite is now a senior and a very long way removed from that green freshman in Quere's archive footage.

She's arguably the best female pole vaulter in Colorado, Loveland's school record holder and the favorite to win the 5A state championship in the event.

All things that girl in the video never believed possible.

"I never thought I'd get to that (state championship) level. I never did, so it's really driving me right now," Waite said. "It just seemed so high when I was a freshman. As a freshman I got to 9 feet and I just never saw myself getting that 3 feet more because the 9 feet was hard enough and every inch after that is a struggle."

Like every successful athlete at any level of sport, Waite combines natural ability with focused determination. But pole vault is not an event where you're just good because of raw skills.

Technique is critical, and because middle school's don't offer pole vaulting, it's not until high school you can learn the skill.

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In middle school Waite quit track and turned her attention to other pursuits, but decided to come back with one stipulation — she only wanted to do pole vault.

"Nobody protested that because I was pretty slow as a runner," she said. "They didn't care because I proved to be a pretty good pole vaulter then. After freshman year it kind of became my passion."

As Quere's video suggests, time was needed before Waite really grasped the event, but her previous experience in swimming provided her a physical edge. Swimming had given Waite stronger shoulders than most of her competitors.

She also dedicated time to the weight room to get stronger in order to bend bigger poles, and in return, get more energy to vault higher.

Waite's strength now has her going beyond the limits of standard women's poles.

"Even today, she was blowing through a pole," Quere said at the St. Vrain Invitational on Friday. "She needs to use one of our men's poles because she's too strong and fast for (the women's)."

By the time Waite was a junior, she was a state contender, taking fourth in 2013 with a vault of 11-8. This season alone she broke the school record — twice — most recently with a 12-7 (last year's state champ vaulted 12-2).

"The thing that defines great athletes, I think, is they continue to improve. She keeps putting in the work, she keeps showing up and she keeps getting better," Quere said. "So I don't think we've even hit her maximum yet. She's still got a lot of room to get better.

"Even more so than her physical game, she raised up her mental game and I think that's why she's the No. 1 vaulter in the state right now."

And for all the physical tools needed to pole vault, there's the key ingredient, Waite says. The hardest part of the sport. Mental fortitude.

"I always make fun of pole vaulters. I call them stupid because so many people come in and say 'no, that looks terrifying' and won't come anywhere near it," she said. "So I think there's a certain stupidity that comes with the sport. A good stupidity that says 'I don't really care what happens because I've got nothing to lose.' If you can come in with that attitude, it's so much easier."

The adrenaline, the challenge. That's what keeps Waite coming back. That's what will keep her going in college where she'll compete on scholarship for Western State.

"She's coachable and she loves to compete, and those are probably two of the most important things as you take it to the next level," Quere said.

Oh, and as far as being a slow runner as a freshman in his video, scratch that.

"And now she can run by the way," Quere said. "So you might get to see her on a relay next week."

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